There are many motivations for considering cosmetic surgery. For Audrey, it was recovering after the loss of her husband. She also moved to San Diego to be closer to her son.

As Audrey dealt with her husband’s death and her relocation, her appearance changed. Looking in the mirror, she noticed her eyes were “so tired and wrinkled”. She decided she wanted her former confidence back.

Audrey called LJCSC asking to see Dr. Johan Brahme about an eyelid lift and a tummy tuck, too, “From there, I made what I truly believe was the best choice I’ve ever made”. Audrey felt confident and “excited” when she left the Centre. She knew she’d selected a great surgeon who really listened to her.

If you live here in Southern California, then you likely have many friends and neighbors for whom a healthy lifestyle is paramount. It’s all about feeling good. Yet if you’ve been out and about in San Diego on a sunny day, you also know how much we all pride ourselves on looking good as well.

If you think about it, looking good and feeling good are two sides of the same coin. You’ve heard of a person having “that healthy glow?” Nature, however, doesn’t always grant an ideal figure in exchange for healthy habits. Sometimes, nature needs some help.

Kieu, married, and the mother of one son, fits the “Mommy Makeover” profile perfectly. She had excess skin on her tummy that no amount of working out could fix, “I exercise regularly and stay on top of my fitness, but I just couldn’t get rid of the loose skin.”

After thinking about surgery for almost five years, she decided to act. “I said, Why pay trainers? Why not use the money toward surgery?” Kieu’s “someday” thoughts turned into action, “It was time for me to look GOOD and feel comfortable in my own skin again. I wanted my old body back and to feel good in a bikini again.”

by Johan E. Brahme, MD

Dr. Johan Brahme

There is an emerging new area in plastic surgery: Feminine Genital Rejuvenation. This field is achieving mainstream popularity as an option for women seeking enhanced genital aesthetics and function as well as improved comfort. As word began to spread, numerous patients requested my help with these delicate and intensely private aspects of their bodies and lives. I responded by looking for a way to help, which lead me to special training in this area of plastic surgery. Like other areas of cosmetic surgery, it is a joy for me to see women who were previously suffering emotionally and physically become happy and pain-free.

Although Taunya leads a very busy life, she always tries to find a little time each day to exercise. Her three children, two boys and one girl ranging in ages from 2½ to 7 years old, all have one thing in common—they were very large babies. “My first two children were 9.5 and 10 lbs. My third child had to be delivered by caesarean two weeks early because of how big my babies grew, and he was already 8 lbs.” The children brighten Taunya’s life in so many ways, but carrying such large babies wreaked havoc on her fit body. “The skin just kept stretching with each pregnancy, and no matter how much I worked out, it never bounced back.”

Heidi began gaining weight when she was 10 years old. Twenty years and two toddlers later, she decided to do something about it. “Something began to change for me after my daughter was born. Here I was, the mother of two beautiful children, and too heavy and out of shape to keep up with them. Even worse was the fear of not knowing if I would be around to watch them grow up. I decided enough was enough and in December of 2007, I began using walking videos and exercising.”

Four years ago, Beth went on a journey to rediscover herself and her body. She began with gastic bypass surgery that led to an amazing 130 pound weight loss. Along with the great accomplishment, Beth also experienced excess skin that most patients with dramatic weight loss experience, which also led to sagging breasts.

Her next step on her journey led her to a breast lift (mastopexy). “I asked friends for recommendations and turned to the Internet to research everything I could about breast lifts. I repeatedly kept coming across La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre in my searches.” After researching information, before and after images and doctors, Beth decided to visit Dr. Lori Saltz, the Centre’s Medical Director.

Is there a “right age” to begin having plastic surgery? That’s something 26-year-old Jessie always wondered. Spending most of her youth and young adulthood playing sports, Jessie described herself as having a body that never made her feel very feminine. “I had this strong, athletic build combined with a very flat chest. I hated that.” Jessie recalls being in high school and imagining one day she would have a breast augmentation to make herself feel better about her body.

Christy knows what a struggle it is to lose weight. In 8th grade, just when life is beginning to throw so many challenges at you, she weighed 225 pounds and wore a size 22. “I’m a southern girl from Alabama and grew up loving food. When I was a teenager, I moved in with my grandparents and started to become aware of how unhealthy my weight was. My grandmother sent me to nutrition classes and I lost some weight.”

When it comes to plastic surgery, almost every patient has a different story and motivation for deciding when the time is right. For Carla, a mother of five, ranging in ages from 14 to 26 years, she had many reasons. “I think having plastic surgery was always in the back of my mind, but being able to justify spending that money on myself was difficult.” Never one to really lack self-confidence, Carla says two life-changing moments made her change the way she felt about her body. “About 20 years ago I was diagnosed with cervical cancer. The way they performed the surgery left me with this big fold of skin on my stomach that never went away.” Years later, a lumpectomy was performed on one of her breasts, leaving her feeling lopsided. “Luckily the lesion was benign but because they took so much breast tissue, I could never get clothes to fit right.” A recommendation from a friend led her to Dr. Lori Saltz, a board certified plastic surgeon and Medical Director at La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre.

When Allyn decided it was time to get in shape, she didn’t take it lightly. “I worked out all the time and was loving it but there were areas of my body that just didn’t change.” That’s when she decided to get a helping hand through cosmetic surgery. As a forensic crime scene scientist, Allyn does meticulous research, and approached finding the right plastic surgeon in the same manner. “I had already seen two other plastic surgeons and Dr. Brahme was my third consultation… and the third time was the charm.” Dr. Johan E. Brahme, a board certified plastic surgeon, was exactly who Allyn had been hoping to find. “He was so knowledgeable and confident, yet so personable. He validated what I was feeling and showed me how he could help me accomplish my goals.” In addition to Dr. Brahme, Allyn recalls that the LJCSC staff was warm and welcoming. Since many team members have personally undergone procedures, they shared their experiences with Allyn, which she said made such a difference. Allyn had her first surgery, a tummy tuck, with Dr. Brahme in the summer of 2008 and was thrilled with the results.

Jordan, 31 years old, was born and raised in San Diego. She is happily married with 3 children. She made the decision to have plastic surgery because she had a lot of excess skin after her last daughter from breastfeeding.

In Jordan’s spare time, she enjoys going to the river and spending time with her friends and family.

“I spend my summers at the river. I am more confident—now I don’t have to spend months looking for a bikini top to make me look decent.”